326ste Spiritmail

The Power of an Idea

By Karmayogi

The Chairman of the
International Commission on Peace and Food (ICPF) desired us to review the
relevance of the Commission's recommendations since it is now ten years
after the release of its Report. The review is to be done in a conference in Delhi in the last week of
November sponsored by four or five world organisations.

Harlan Cleveland, the Chairman of ICPD, the successor organisation to ICPF, is
85 years old. We hesitated to invite him to travel from Washington, but he was in
earnest, indeed eager, in spite of his frail health.

He was a former Ambassador to NATO and presently is the contributing Editor of
World Paper. He came to India twice to know of Sri Aurobindo's
yogic philosophy. He said that the ICPF's Report was the best of the five
International Commission Reports. Knowing that the original inspiration came
from Sri Aurobindo, he was interested in Him.

For over ten years, we have closely worked with him, especially presenting him
the Theory of Social Evolution based on Sri Aurobindo. This morning our Member
was to speak to Harlan, the ICPD Chairman, on the phone. We know he would like
to hear something new from us on the international situation from Sri
Aurobindo's point of view.

So we were discussing whether terrorism can be explained from the
Master's point of view. It is one thing to know what the view of the
Master would be and it is another thing to present it in a language acceptable
to a Western thinker.

But we also know the POWER of HIS THOUGHT. Classrooms that were noisy and
inattentive became solemn, serious and silent when a quotation of Sri Aurobindo
was read out. This was in an American university. Whatever the failing of the
instruments, we know the FORCE will act through HIS words. Exactly at that
moment, my son entered and disclosed the news of Veerappan's inglorious
end.

I refer to such coincidences as Life Response. In this incident, I see the
power of the Master's words expressing the Reality of the Force – the
ending of 'terrorism' in one remote corner of Tamil Nadu. Devotees
see the Force in action all the time in their work, serious or routine.

But this one stands out by its striking significance. Once Sri Aurobindo said
that a yogi can sit in his chair and his force can act anywhere in the world,
and that Force will deliver man the goods God intends. He also said, once, that
he could act spiritually in Ireland and Turkey and accomplish what
he wanted.

The passage does not explain what the accomplishment was. His Force will do any
work anywhere at any time if the human instrument is pure. We mortals are proud
of our Ignorance, mistaking it for our knowledge. Wherever HE has done some
work is a suitable place for its renewal by the devotees.